62 art ltd - March / April 2016For a heady dose of process and pattern, new work by Linnea Glattat Barry Whistler Gallery delivers the goods. Her line-driven works on
paper in various sizes channel Minimalism and may resemble the work of Agnes Martin. Martin often drew with graphite; by contrast, Glatt
achieves her composition with the use of colored thread woven into the paper. These pieces are beautifully executed, full of texture, and
resonate with moods that range from the tranquil to the cosmic, nearly catapulting the viewer into the infinite. When installed in groups, the
delicate serial imagery is repetitive and soothing. Usually they are executed in neutral monochromatic colors; every so often she surprises
with blue or red, never really mixing different colors together. Her threads form different shapes and patterns that evoke quiet contemplation.
From a distance, what looks like a point reveals itself as a line on the surface. In some pieces, Glatt intensifies the concentration of line and
thread to create volume. This allows her to investigate how her thread measures up to, and contends with, the flat surface of the paper.
Through her art, Glatt proposes an alternative to current trends that depend on digital, flashy and tedious techniques. Slow down and take
the time to breathe it in.
At Barry Whistler Gallery, from April 9 – May 28, 2016.Mechanical objects, movement, and how
they play off of the natural world captivate
Juan Fontanive. Profoundly interested in
the place where these ideas interact as art,
the Brooklyn-based artist creates kinetic
installations of ceiling-mounted mobiles, pro-
pelled into motion with visible cables, pulleys
and engines. Even better, he also puts the
machines to work by applying the motion
to images that change on a rotating basis:
these “flipbooks,” as he calls them, will be
on view in his solo show at Conduit Gallery.
In the Ornithologyflipbook series, his subject
is the flying motion of colorful birds as their
wings flutter. Fontanive designs and con-
structs these diorama-like contraptions by
using old-fashioned analog technology. The
works are housed in a stainless steel casing
fitted with a motor and electronics that rotate
four-color screen prints, simulating motion,
not unlike animated cartoons. More directly,
they reference film projection in both their
sound and the way the images flow verti-
cally. In this case, though, the point is to
make sure the viewer sees and enjoys the
obviousness of the operation. If it were too
polished and seamless the effect would be
ruined. These works are fascinating expres-
sions of kinetic art that animates the
mechanically produced screen prints of a
creature of nature—quite an interaction.
“Juan Fontanive: Colorthings”
will be on display at Conduit Gallery
from April 2 – May 7, 2016.
“Ornithology I,” 2016, Juan Fontanive
4-color screen print on Bristol paper,
stainless steel, motor and electronics
41 ⁄ 4 " x 5" x 3^3 ⁄ 4 "
Photo: courtesy Conduit Gallery“Increase/Decrease,” 2016, Linnea Glatt
Thread, 11 units each measuring 7^1 ⁄ 2 "
Photo: Kevin Todora
Courtesy the artist and Barry Whistler Gallery